Hinchey formally announces run for Norwich mayor

Norwich alderwoman Deb Hinchey formally launched her campaign for mayor on Tuesday, promising to tie city departments into economic development and work to bring in more commerce in order to ease the tax burden on residents. ...

Norwich alderwoman Deb Hinchey formally launched her campaign for mayor on Tuesday, promising to tie city departments into economic development and work to bring in more commerce in order to ease the tax burden on residents.

“I have great faith that we in Norwich are on the cusp of really making a change,” Hinchey, 60, said at her husband’s downtown law office, where she made her announcement. “My vision for the mayor’s position is one of organizing, of being there, of trying to make sure we sell the city.”

Hinchey, a Democrat, becomes the first candidate to jump into what’s expected to be a competitive race for her party’s endorsement this May. She’s in the second year of her second term on the City Council.

Fellow council members Tucker Braddock Jr. and Charles Jaskiewicz have said they’re thinking about running for mayor as well. Republican incumbent Peter Nystrom said he’ll make an announcement shortly regarding his aspirations for another term.

Norwich has a weak mayor form of government, in which the mayor is responsible for coordinating economic development and is a voting member of the City Council. The city manager oversees day-to-day operations and administers policies set forth by the council.

A licensed clinical social worker, Hinchey said her decision to run for Norwich’s highest office came after discussions with many of her constituents and a belief that more can be done to help people in the city who are ?struggling with what ?she sees as onerous tax bills.

The city’s unemployment rate — the 14th-highest in Connecticut, according to state Department of Labor figures — is hovering around 10 percent, and 53 percent of its revenue is derived from property taxes.

“My vision is to make sure we retain all the businesses that we have currently,” Hinchey said, promising to go on a tour of city retailers if elected. “I feel that we will only accomplish what we need to with economic development if the city is represente d and able to coordinate the various departments to ensure whatever it is businesses need to come here.”

Hinchey, a strong supporter of the defeated $33.8 million downtown police station bond, said it was a “project I believed in wholeheartedly,” but understood why voters killed the measure last month.

“I think it was clear in the last referendum that people can’t do any more. They’re overwhelmed, and so I think the only way we can fix that is by lessening their (tax) burden,” she said.

The Democratic Town Committee holds its convention in May, but Hinchey already has endorsements from top party leaders, including committee Chairman Frank Manfredi and Peter Desaulniers, the council’s president pro tempore.

Desaulniers told The Bulletin Tuesday that he won’t run for mayor and his support of Hinchey is strong.

Page 2 of 2 - “I find her to be extremely dedicated and thorough. She’s not afraid of a conflict,” he said. “There’s nobody who could run on either side that could do a better job than Deb, in my opinion.”

“When you start talking about coordinating services and communication, that’s critical to moving things along. The mayor should be doing a job similar to that, and I don’t get the feeling that’s going on,” she said.